Every day in the US, kids go hungry. A lot of people live in poverty, which means they often don't know where their next meals will come from.
Unfortunately, this means many children go without the food they need to thrive. According to No Kid Hungry, "1 in 6 children in America faces hunger, all across the United States, in every community." And for growing children, going without a meal can be absolutely detrimental.
Feeding America explains: "Kids who don’t get enough to eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious disadvantage. When they’re hungry, children are more likely to be hospitalized and they face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma. And as they grow up, kids struggling to get enough to eat are more likely to have problems in school and other social situations."
Although there are nationwide organizations that help fight childhood hunger, individuals who work with kids every day can get boots on the ground much more easily.
Now, teachers and school administrators are fighting hunger on a school-by-school basis.
If you ask kids what their favorite subject at school is, many of them will jokingly say, "Lunch!"
Kids love taking a break from learning to have a good meal and hang out with their friends. But for some kids, lunch can be anxiety-inducing.
Some kids are lucky enough to have incredible homemade lunches like this one, but other kids aren't as fortunate.
The sad truth is that many kids' lunches look more like this. Not only are they unappetizing, they're also very small.
To keep kids from going hungry, many schools are creating "share tables."
So what exactly is a share table? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. Any kids who have unopened items from their own lunches that they don't want to eat can drop the food on the table, and hungry kids can come and take something.
Not only do share tables help hungry kids, they also help reduce waste!
Teachers and school administrators have been posting photos of these share tables online, and people absolutely love the idea.
Parents, teachers, and students are all on board with these share tables — and they're so easy to set up!
And since these share tables have made their way around social media, people can't stop commenting about what a great idea they are.
One person shared, "In our cafeteria, the kids throw so much away… love this idea!"
Kids often throw away anything they don't feel like eating, even if it's perfectly good food. These share tables keep so much food from going in the trash.
Growing kids are often still hungry after finishing their small serving of school-provided lunch, so being able to grab more food without shame is a huge benefit of these share tables.
Do you know any parents or teachers who would love this idea? Every school should start something like this!
